The rural independents have dared the Coalition to put up or shut up, and stop looking for excuses to walk away from its pledge to try to collapse the government by moving a no-confidence motion in Parliament.

Tony Windsor
and
Rob Oakeshott
are now considering moving their own motion next week, to test once and for all the Coalition claims that there is a lack of confidence in the Parliament and the government.

They believe the latest qualification surrounding the Coalition’s motion is another excuse to back away from the threat issued by Opposition Leader
Tony Abbott
in March, to move a ­no-confidence motion in budget week and put the independents to the test.

The Opposition has now decided not to move the motion unless the independents indicate first whether they would support it – a departure from the original position on March 22, the day after
Simon Crean
called for a leadership spill, but
Kevin Rudd
declined to challenge. Back then, Mr Abbott and the ­Manager of Opposition Business,
­Christopher Pyne
, pledged to move the motion as soon as Parliament resumed for the May 14 federal budget.

The tactic was designed to pressure the independents to publicly back the government or otherwise.

“And it will be up to the independent members of Parliament to look into their consciences, to consult with ­their electorates,’’ Mr Abbott said on ­March 22.

However, the Coalition reneged on the budget week threat and Mr Pyne said he would delay until after it was delivered because the budget would be a disaster and would provide further momentum for the motion to pass.

“After the budget, it will be even more apparent how useless the ­government is and a no-confidence motion will be even more appropriate,’’ Mr Pyne said on May 7.

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Pyne ‘frightened or embarrassed’

Now, Mr Pyne has written to Mr Windsor, Mr Oakeshott and others ­saying that should the motion pass, the government would be pushed into caretaker mode and an election would be held as early as August 3.

However, it is understood that should the requisite crossbench ­support not be forthcoming, the motion will not be put.

Mr Windsor told the AFR Weekend that Mr Pyne was either “frightened or embarrassed’’ about the original threat and was looking for an excuse not to proceed.

He believed the Coalition was trying to make the independents responsible by putting the onus on them as to whether it was moved or not.

Thus, he said he and Mr Oakeshott were prepared to test the issue next week. “It would be a worthwhile ­exercise, as we draw to the conclusion of the Parliament, for MPs to express their views on its performance and ­I would ­welcome that debate,’’ Mr ­Windsor said.

Mr Oakeshott challenged the ­Coalition to put their words into action.

“If Mr Abbott, and Mr Pyne and his colleagues truly believe this to be the worst government in the history of the world. . . I invite them to put their case on the floor of the Parliament,’’ he said.

“Grovelling to the crossbench. . . and threatening to do something for week upon week upon week builds the view that this is just the shallow tactic of destabilising and has nothing to do with the substance of the most serious charge they are making.’’